Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein relates generally to electronic devices attachable to, and capable of moving, toilet seats. The invention relates specifically to a system capable of moving a toilet seat between a first open position and a second closed position upon receiving commands.
Description of Related Art
Toilet seats are unclean at best and a harbor for disease at worst. A man wishing to use a toilet runs the risk of infection and illness, as does a woman faced with having to put the seat down if a man with whom she is sharing the premises forgets to do so. To avoid having to do this, it is desirable to have at one's disposal a device that can be attached to a toilet seat. More importantly, it is desirable to have a device that can also be manipulated at will should the device or the entire toilet need to be cleaned or repaired. The prior art discloses a number of devices that seek to achieve these objectives.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,593 to James Lawrence discloses a seat-closure device that involves weight-driven cords or cables that move the toilet seat when the toilet is flushed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,400,422 to James Pendlebury discloses a hydraulic motor-driven device that also lowers the toilet seat upon flushing. Other patents disclose various methods to affix similar devices to a toilet that utilize, for example, springs, or movement based on the water line in the tank, among others, to restore the toilet seat to its original position.
Unfortunately, the prior art overwhelmingly favors simplistic methods such as cables with weights and water markers. Two issues arise as a result of these methods. First, many necessarily require a tank. This requires more labor to install and remove the device and it also makes the functioning of the device dependent on the functioning of the tank. Second, even if the prior art devices do not require a tank to work, they cannot be retrofitted onto an existing toilet, instead requiring a new seat to be installed. While these methods certainly fulfill the purpose of moving the seat from one position to another during routine use, they do not address the need for manipulating the seat at will should the user need to wash or repair the toilet or the device.